Most UK businesses unconcerned by Scottish independence vote

The recent Vistage Medium-Sized Business Confidence Index shows that 66% of the 2000 UK SMEs questioned are not worried about the potential impact of a Scottish independence vote.

The survey shows that only 26% of respondents thought the vote could have a potentially damaging effect.

Medium-sized businesses were also asked their reaction to a possible referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, with 71% saying they didn’t think talk of a referendum was a possible detriment to their business. Only 14% were concerned by the possible impact.

Earlier this year in a similar poll, 90% of Scottish businesses said that they had already decided how they would vote, with 48% believing that Scottish independence would be a negative step for their SMEs.

41% felt independence would make it less likely that they would be able to invest in business growth, while 36% felt it would actually make investment more likely.

Marion Wolff, CEO of Ingenious Britain, said: ‘One thing all businesses need, especially small businesses, is certainty. There is an indication coming through our research that a sizeable proportion of small business owners have sufficient reservations about the potential negative issues and challenges independence might present to be seriously questioning whether it is really in the interests of their company’.